The Start of It All
by Haleybug52
Summary: After joining the CIA to save her life, and her little brothers, Alexandria Brookes, a former Arch Angel, trained as an assassin, joins forces with CIA operative G Callen.  Will the two find love, or will it all come crashing down around them?
1. The Beginning

After joining the CIA to save her life, and her little brothers, Alexandria Brookes, a former Arch Angel, a group of children kidnapped from a young age to be trained as an assassin, joins forces with CIA operative G Callen. Will the two find love, or will it all come crashing down around them?

_A/N: I found this hiding on my computer and figured that I should post it. If you haven't read Callen's Old Flame, then you may want to start off with this one._

_This is mainly about G Callen and Alexandria and how they came to meet and ultimately fall in love. The team will not be in this one, with the exception of Hetty in later chapters. This is before Callen joined NCIS, when he was still working for the CIA._

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own G Callen…**

The Beginning:

"Leave Alexandria, get back to the others" Andrew had ordered once telling him we had people tailing us, most likely CIA.

I opened my mouth to refuse, but when I saw the look in his eye I knew that there was no room for argument. I kissed his cheek, slipped a gun into his coat pocket, and then headed down the street.

Someone immediately followed me, while another followed Andrew, but I quickly lost them, slipping silently through the dark night in Arizona. I looked up at the buildings, and found a rooftop that would serve to my advantage. I quickly went through the backdoor, looking over my shoulder to make sure no one saw me, and headed up.

There was nothing I could do for him at the moment, but if he let himself be taken in, then maybe I would be able to get him out, along with my brothers and sisters.

I watched, crouched on a nearby rooftop, as the helicopters shined the light on the man I had known as my father for the past ten years. Sirens flashed, shouts rang out in the chilled Arizona night air, and then, there was a single shot fired, and the man known as Andrew Barclay, creator of the Arch Angels, was dead.

. . .

Andrew, the man who had taught me everything I knew to this day, was dead.

I tried to push the shock out of my mind, but it always made its way back. I mentally shook myself; I couldn't let this get to me. I was trained to keep my emotions out of everything; I was trained not to let this happen. I had to get back to my brothers and sisters, I had to protect them.

There was nothing I could do for Andrew, he was dead, but I could keep the others safe. I was the oldest, I was the most trained, it was my duty, it was my responsibility.

_Goodbye Andrew, _I thought as I boarded the plane that would take me back to Oregon.

. . .

It had taken me a few hours to get from Arizona back to Oregon, but I did without a single government agent or Navy SEAL on my trail. Even if they had tried to follow me, I would have taken them out, just as easily as I did everyone else that tried to get in my way.

I pushed the doors open to our newest compound and strode through the doors. The stone floors echoed along the walls as my heavy boots hit the floor. I headed towards the living room.

The only thing that was on my mind was that Andrew was dead, and I was now the leader, and I had to keep my brothers and sisters safe.

Seven pairs of wary and deadly looking eyes settled on me as I strode through the compounds living room and towards the armory. Quickly letting the security system scan my iris, the doors unlocked with a click and I threw the cold metal doors open.

I looked at the grey walls, the metal shelves, guns lined against them, ammunition in the drawers under them. Pulling open the cages that kept the guns locked up safely, I looked at them, quickly taking account of what needed to go, and what could stay.

"What's going on Alexandria?" Steven, the oldest Arch Angel beside me asked, coming up behind me, his arms folded over his muscular chest, a frown gracing his features. His dark brown eyes held a hint of worry when he didn't see Andrew come back in with me.

We had left for Arizona three days ago, to pick up a shipment of arms that he had ordered months ago, coming from Russia.

I stopped, knowing that they could either hear it from me, or hear it from the news.

"Andrew is dead, killed by the CIA and Navy SEALs" I said quietly.

I heard some of them gasp, not being able to keep their shock inside. I didn't turn to look at them. They may not think that Andrew could have gone down so easily, but I could.

Andrew didn't like to be cornered, he felt trapped, and when he felt trapped, he panicked. He never taught his own training on himself, only on us, and that's ultimately what got him killed. While we were trained to be cool and collected, he let his fear and panic get to him. We, on the other hand, didn't know what fear and panic meant, at least, not after all these years.

"What do we do know?" Rebecca asked in a small voice.

I grabbed a few duffle bags and then began to load them with guns and ammunition. I fondly picked up my sniper rifle and then disassembled it placing it into the bag. After I was done, and the armory was almost empty, everything of importance gone, I quickly distributed the bags to the older ones.

"They will be looking for us next, they want us dead. We need to split up, stay off the radar. Go, pack quickly" I ordered, and they all hurried off to their respective rooms.

I walked towards my room and grabbed the bag that I always kept packed, in case I needed a quick getaway. Steven dropped his by the door and leaned against the doorframe.

I looked around the room, cool grey walls, with no splash of color, nothing of importance on the walls, nothing I would miss. I strode over to the nightstand and quickly grabbed the guns that I kept hidden around the room. Heading over to my closet, I threw open the doors and quickly let the safe scan my iris. Opening it, I took my prized knife collection out and all my fake IDs, passports, everything I would need, throwing it all into the duffle bag with my guns and ammunition.

"This isn't going to be easy" he answered.

"I know" I said simply, turning towards him.

"They're all going to want revenge for his death" he said.

"I know, and when the time comes they will, we all will" I answered. We walked out towards the bare living room, also in grey with a touch of black on the leather couches and chairs, to find everyone waiting for us.

Everyone's eyes had a coldness to them, a coldness that could only be gained from when a person had seen too many horrors in their short lifetimes. That was all that we knew, all we saw.

There was only one set of eyes who didn't hold the coldness, and that was Dalton's.

Dalton was the newest, the only one who had barely seen anything, the only one who still felt the pain from the torture. He was the newest, and now, he would be the last. There would only be eight Arch Angels instead of the twelve Andrew had planned.

They all looked at me, waiting for my orders. "Split up, take the younger ones with you, don't go to any of the safe houses, they could very well be watched. Dalton, you're with me" I answered. Everyone nodded their heads, the orders were clear.

I quickly picked up my bag, my bag of ammunition and guns, and Dalton's before grabbing his hand and heading down the stone hallways, and out the door, heading towards the large stone grey garage.

I waited for everyone to get out of the house and watched as they loaded up into the cars that were in the garage, Steven had Rebecca with him. Dalton was already in the car, so I slung the bags into it and hit the button that was hidden on the garage remote along with my keys.

As we drove away, the compound erupted into flames. I saw a car stopped at the end of the dirt road, idling. Pulling up beside it, I watched the tinted window roll down to reveal Steven's face.

"Be careful Alexandria" he said. I nodded my head.

"Be careful guys" I said before rolling the window and heading off towards the highway.

In my rearview mirror I saw Steven head off along a series of other roads, and I watched the compound burn, smoke filling the air.

It would be a while before anyone got out here, and by then, everything would be burned beyond recognition. There would be no trace that the Arch Angels were there. That's how we wanted it, and that's how we wanted to keep it.

"Where are we going Alexandria?" Dalton asked, and I could still detect the fear in his voice, even though he tried to push it down and remain strong like the others. I had grown fond of Dalton, considered him more of a son then a brother. There was something about him that made me want to protect him, and I knew that I would do it at whatever the cost.

"France" I answered automatically as I looked at him in the rearview mirror. Emerald green connecting with dark brown.

. . .

Hours later, we were in France, and while Dalton slept soundly in bed, I splashed cold water on my face, remembering everything that had happened in the ten years I had been an Arch Angels.

Vivid memories swarmed around me, all ranging from when I was captured outside my home in London, England while playing in the street with my sister, from the training, to the torture, to the killing of my family in front of me when I had refused to kill, to the coming of each and every one of my brothers and sisters.

Splashing my face with cold water again I then stepped out of the bathroom and headed over to the balcony. Sitting on the railing, I felt the wind whip around me, comforting me slightly. I grabbed one of my many pistols and began to clean it.

I was the leader of the Arch Angels now.

I was the only one that could keep us safe.

I had to keep us all alive.

I had to get revenge for the death of Andrew.


	2. Caught

**Disclaimer: I sadly do not own G Callen, even though he hasn't exactly graced us with his appearance yet, but he will…soon enough…**

Caught:

Something was wrong, that much I could tell when I opened my eyes the next night. It was safer to move about Paris in the dark, we were less likely to be spotted then. Dalton was still sound asleep, so I quickly and quietly slid out of bed so I didn't wake him. My instincts were telling me to get out of there, that something bad was about to happen, so that's exactly what I did.

I quickly packed and then shoved a gun in the waistband of my jeans, and put a few knives in my black leather boots. Waking Dalton I told him to be ready soon, that we were leaving, and then turned a careful eye to examine the room, making sure we didn't leave anything behind in case they decided to check any of the rooms to see if we had been here. When I found nothing, I grabbed the bags and then headed downstairs to the lobby to check out.

What I didn't expect was for the entire lobby to be swarming with men and women in dark suits, most likely the CIA, concealing guns, and men with large guns in their hands scoping the place out. I stopped and pushed Dalton behind me into a storage closet.

Pulling everything out, I placed all my fake ID's along with Dalton's in the pockets of my cargo pants along with extra ammunition and knives. I quickly assembled my sniper rifle and slung it over my shoulder. "Let's get out of here, we'll head for the roof" I told Dalton and he nodded grabbing my hand.

I peeked out the door and saw that no one was coming so I slipped out, pulling Dalton with me. I headed towards the stairs, knowing it was useless to take the elevators unless we wanted to be seen.

"Alexandria Brookes! Stop!" called a voice.

I whipped around and saw two men in dark suits standing further down the hall. "Go!" I shouted at Dalton pushing him forward. We took off running, hearing shouts and gunfire behind us.

Dalton pushed open the door to the stairs and rushed up them, I followed close behind. I heard the door bang open again and shouts coming from under us and knew that they were following. "Keep going!" I shouted to Dalton, as I turned around, pulling out my gun, and fired shots at the men. I watched them jump out of my line of fire and curse, before firing back at me. I headed after Dalton.

The door in front of me opened and a man stepped in front of me, I quickly shot my hand out, palm up, shoving his nose into his brain. He crumbled quickly and I leapt over the body, Dalton right in front of me. He pushed open the doors that lead to the top floor. "Head for the roof!" I shouted turning back around and firing at the CIA agents who were right on our heels. One went down and I quickly got out the way as they fired. I watched Dalton disappear when a door closed behind him.

I quickly followed, slamming it shut behind me and holding it shut for a few moments, my chest heaving. I knew I couldn't hold it on my own, not with that many government agents trying to force it open so I sprinted up the stairs that led to the roof, hearing the door slam open and footsteps pounding on the metal stairs behind me.

When I got on the roof I saw Dalton and I quickly rushed toward him, placing myself in front of him protectively, a wall behind us. I drew my sniper and stood ready, waiting. Moments later, men and women swarmed out the doors and surrounded us, guns aimed ready to fire. I felt Dalton draw a gun behind me.

A man came forward and I immediately had him in my line of vision through the scope. If anyone made a move towards us, he would be the first to die.

"Alexandria, you're surrounded, why don't you give up" he said.

"Never" I snarled at the man, eyes narrowing. We were outnumbered, but if I was going to go down, I was going to go down fighting.

"Put the gun down so we can talk" the man said.

I gave a cold laugh. "Last time I checked, you boys weren't much for talking" I said.

A bright light shined on me, and I heard the rotating of helicopter blades. They had brought in the heavy artillery.

"Your brothers and sisters are dead Alexandria…" the man started and I let out a snarl of fury.

"We're going to give you the same chance we gave them. You can join us, at the CIA; it doesn't have to end this way. You don't have to die" the man said.

"I'll never betray them" I shouted.

"They're dead Alexandria; you can't betray someone who's dead. Think of Dalton, he's just a boy, it doesn't have to end this way, for either of you".

I looked back at Dalton, who had fear in his eyes. I felt him shaking, knew that he wasn't ready to die. Dalton was the only reason that kept me from pulling the trigger. The man must have saw that he was starting to win me over because he then continued saying, "There is one other, who's still alive. His name's Mitchell, he decided to join us."

I tensed. "Where is he, let me see him" I demanded.

The man looked at me, and then said "He's in the hospital, he was shot, but he's going to be ok, she's going to meet us at Langley. Think about it Alexandria, do you really want Dalton to watch you die? Do _you _really want to die? You have your whole life ahead of you".

I tensed, looking back at Dalton and then back at the man. I shook my head, this was a trap. "You'll kill us, that's what the President wants. You'll kill us the minute we go with you" I said, my gun still trained on him, never faltering.

"No Alexandria, we won't. My orders are to take you back to Langley, to my Director; he wants you to be one of us, to protect the country. To do good in the world. You don't have to be the bad guy anymore, you don't have to run and look over your shoulder anymore. It's over" he said.

I looked uncertainly back at Dalton, and then lowered my gun slightly. Men moved forward, I raised my gun again and they stopped. I looked at the man who had done all the talking. "You're the only one who can come near us, anyone else steps a foot over here, they die" I said flatly.

The man nodded and came towards us cautiously, making a signal at the men and women behind him, most likely telling them to stay back. His arms were raised, revealing that he had no gun on him, at least what I could see anyway. "There's a plane waiting for us" he said and Dalton grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. I gave it a reassuring squeeze and let the man lead us towards the doors, the CIA agents and Navy SEALS making a way for us.

I held the gun tightly in my hand, waiting for them to move a muscle. They didn't, they just stood there, watching us with wary looks in their eyes. They were afraid of us, good, they should be.

We walked out the hotel, guest and employees alike staring at us as we got into a dark colored SUV. An agent came up to try to handcuff us and I got ready to attack, but the other man waved him away. "There's no need, they'll just get out of them anyway. Get us to the airport" he ordered shutting the door behind us. I kept a protective arm around Dalton, watching the CIA agent warily.

"What's your name?" I asked as we rode through the streets of Paris, France.

"Mason Carter" he answered as we pulled up at a private airport. A large plane, no doubt the CIA's own private jet sat waiting for us.

We were escorted by armed Seals to the doors, and then walked in, after they took away all my guns and knives, including my sniper rifle, which was, as they put it, "just a precaution."

Once the plane took off, Dalton settled against my side and fell asleep. Mason Carter sat across from me and I surveyed him. It wouldn't be hard to take him out if the time came, but for now, I would trust him, just a little, for Dalton's sake.

"Why are you acting nice? Most people hate our guts" I asked after a while.

"I'm not like most people" he answered before we lapsed into silence again.

I closed my eyes, pretending that I was asleep, when I was actually acutely aware of my surroundings. It was hours before I opened my eyes again, and when I did, I saw that we were getting close to landing time.

As the wheels hit the tarmac, Mason Carter looked at me and Dalton, who had woken once he felt the jolt of the wheels hitting the ground. "Welcome to CIA Headquarters Alexandria and Dalton" he said before the airplane came to a stop in front of a large building.

_Okay, so I have decided that I am going to update this story every Saturday. It gives me time to write it, and then go through and look for errors, while actually doing my homework (which I hate doing). So, it is Spring Break for me, and I may have more chapters up, but until I finish the other ones, this will be it until Saturday. So enjoy!_

_Oh, and if you're wondering when our favorite blue-eyed mysterious (and in this case) CIA operative will grace us with his appearance, it's the next chapter. Which…will most likely be really long._

_-Haleybug_


	3. Meeting G Callen

**Disclaimer: I still don't own G Callen, and most likely never will, but a girl can dream can't she?**

_I'm terribly sorry. I know I said I would update every Saturday, but life happens, and I've had a terrible migraine for the past week, but here is the chapter that was due to you…almost a week ago. I do hope that it being really long made up for it, and I will try to get you a chapter tomorrow. I'm not to happy with this chapter, but this is the best I could come up with…_

"_**I got a bulletproof heart,  
>You got a hollow point smile"<strong>_

_**~Bulletproof Heart, My Chemical Romance**_

Meeting G Callen:

We were lead up the stairs, my eyes swept across every surface, my senses heightened, searching out any danger, besides the agents that held their guns on us from behind. Mason Carter led us into a large office, and I felt the eyes of men and women on us. Dalton gripped my hand, and I held it tightly in mine, ready to jump into attack if anyone came at us. I heard whispers all around the room, all about us.

My eyes wandered around the room, around the agents, and then they followed a man dressed in a suit that had just come out of a glass office. He headed down the gray carpeted stairs and came towards me and Dalton. "Agent Carter, thank you" the man said and Mason Carter nodded before walking out the doors.

"Alexandria Brookes? My name is Matthew Lawrence; I'm the Director of the CIA. Can I ask you a few questions?" he asked. I immediately tensed and looked at Dalton seeing that he tensed as well. He didn't want to be far from me, and I didn't want to be far from him either.

Lawrence must had seen this because he said, "Don't worry, we're just going up to my office, Dalton will be down here, you'll be able to see him at all times. Agent Callen we'll look after him", and he pointed to a man with icy blue eyes, blonde hair that was buzzed short, and a five o'clock shadow who was talking to a man who could only be a few years older than me. They were watching us closely and I saw confusion go through the man's eyes when he saw the Director had pointed at him.

I looked at him closely. He was strong, but not overly muscular, he looked like he ran a lot, and there was a mysterious look about him, one that I couldn't place. I turned to look at Dalton, it was ultimately his decision, he would be one with him. Dalton nodded after staring at the man, Agent Callen, for a few moments. I turned back to the Director of the CIA and gave a tight nod, still not liking that Dalton wouldn't be with me. He motioned the man over.

I watched as he came up, and the Director said, "Agent Callen, I want you to sit with this young man here until I get done talking with his sister. Get him anything he would like, understand?"

"Yes Director" Agent Callen said.

I looked down at Dalton, hesitating for a moment, not really wanting to leave him alone with a bunch of CIA agents. I squeezed his hand and then let go of his hand and looked at Agent Callen for a moment. Then I followed Director Lawrence towards his office.

When I got there, I stood by the glass window that looked out over the office and watched as the agent led Dalton towards his desk. They sat down and started talking. "You can relax Alexandria, Agent Callen is a good agent, he won't let anything happen to him, please have a seat so we can talk" the Director said motioning towards the chair across from him, where he now sat at his desk.

I glanced at Dalton once more before going to take a seat. "What do you want from us? Why did you offer us a position here?" I asked.

"You are valuable are valuable asset to this country. You could help us with things that we know nothing about" he answered, leaning back in his large leather seat.

"You killed Andrew Barclay, the man who raised us, give me one reason why I would help _you" _I asked, pushing up from my seat, eyes narrowed and I leaned over the desk, glaring at the CIA Director. He didn't back down.

"Andrew Barclay kidnapped innocent children, you and the others, and trained them to kill. You were forced to kill, if you didn't your punishment was torture, or watching your family, from before, be executed in front of you. He would have continued creating Arch Angels even if we killed every one of you. You weren't the immediate threat, Andrew Barclay was."

Anger flared through me and I stood, leaping over the desk and pinning the CIA Director to the wall, my hand closed around his throat. "He was the only family we had beside each other. My family is dead because of you, tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now" I snarled, my hand tightening around his throat.

"I can think of two reasons" he managed to gasp out and I tensed.

I dropped him to the ground and watched as he clutched his throat, gasping for air. He regained his composure as I slowly walked back to the other side of the desk, closely watching his every move.

"There's something else you want from me, from us" I said slowly, watching him. There was a look in his eye, one that had questions, and one that held a hint of curiosity deep in the depths of his dark brown eyes.

"Yes" he answered simply.

"What do you want?" I asked, stiffening.

"I want you to tell me what it was like, the life of an Arch Angel" he answered.

. . .

"You already know" I answered leaning forward in the seat.

"I know bits and pieces, I want the whole story" he said.

I sighed; it was going to have to come out sooner or later. It was better to get it out of the way now. Leaning back in my seat I looked at him and then asked "Where do you want me to begin?"

The look of curiosity grew in his eyes before he simply answered, "The very beginning".

. . .

"I was born to James and Mary Brookes on April 9, 1981 in Birmingham, England. My family was well off, my father was some lawyer that climbed the ranks at his law firm, and my mother was a bank manager. Two years after I was born, they had my sister, Elizabeth Anne Brookes. We were as close as sisters could be growing up, we did everything together. Most big sisters wouldn't want their little sister tagging along with them, but it was only two years difference, and I didn't mind, I like having Elizabeth with me.

"It had been raining for the past few days, and the sun was finally starting to come out, so Elizabeth and I decided to go out and play, we had been bored cooped up in the house, and wanted something to do. We were throwing a ball back and forth in the street, it didn't take much for us to have fun, and that's when it happened.

"I heard the squeal of tires, and saw something large a black barreling towards us. I pushed Elizabeth out the way and then a man, Andrew Barclay, got out and clamped a hand over my mouth, the next thing I knew Elizabeth was screaming my name and everything went black. I don't remember much after that, about the actually kidnapping, I mean" I said, looking out the window of the CIA Director's office, getting lost in my own memories.

Movement out the corner of my eye snapped me back into the present, and I watched closely as Matthew Lawrence merely shifted in his chair into a more comfortable position. I continued on with my tale.

"I woke a few days later, found that we were no longer in England, we had made our way to America. Andrew told me what he expected of me. I was terrified, didn't know what would happen if I didn't do what he wanted me to, didn't know if he had my family, or Elizabeth, so I trained with him, every day, all day, every day was a different skill. Sunday we did hand-to-hand combat and how to kill someone with my bare hands, Monday we did languages, Tuesday he taught me how to use guns and how to kill people with them, Wednesday he taught me how to spot a tail and how to follow, Thursday he taught me how to become anyone and how to keep my emotions in check, along with how to disappear, Friday we did knives and how to use them to get the information we wanted out of people, and Saturday we did explosives. We did this for six months, then one day, a Thursday, he came in, and told me it was time to test my skills. He took me to a room, chained me to a wall, and the torture began.

"He told me this was my test, that I had to withstand the torture. If I passed, I would become an Arch Angel, if I didn't, well I would die. I was eight, I was scared, and I wasn't ready to die, that much I knew, so I made a plan, whatever he threw at me, whatever happened, I would fight it, and I would survive. He came in every day, punched me, kicked me, stabbed me, cut me, injected me with chemicals, shot me, everything to try to get me to break, but I never did. That's where I got all these scars from, his torture sessions" I said, pulling up the sleeve of my leather jacket and revealing the many scars that covered my body.

"I don't know how long I was in there, but one day, when I was about to give up, to go ahead and let him kill me, he came in and said I passed the test, that I was now an Arch Angel. That's when it really began, when I started killing. He would give me a victim, their location, and then he would send me to end them. I would send a video to him so he could see that I actually went through with it. He never said a word, but there was always the hidden threat behind his words. If knew that if I didn't do what he wanted me to do, there would be major consequences. I learned that a few years later, when Steven was brought in.

"Andrew wanted me to kidnap Steven, take him away from his family where they were living in Montana. No one would suspect a ten year old girl of kidnapping an eight year old boy. I refused; I wasn't going to let someone else end up like me, a girl used for killing, without any family. So, he brought out his unspoken threats. There were three pictures, one of my mother, one of my father, and one of Elizabeth. He said if I didn't kidnap Steven and bring him back to be an Arch Angel, my brother, then they would die. So, I did what he said. I headed to Montana, kidnapped Steven, brought him back to the compound in Arizona, and the process began all over again, except I was the observer, not the one getting experimented on.

"Over the years, more children came through, some made it, others didn't, and in a way, we became a family. Melissa came, then Brandon, Mitchell, Rebecca, Sandy, and Dalton. I was thirteen when it happened, Steven and I had just gotten back from taking Sandy, and Rebecca was ready to be tested, so Andrew decided that I would be the one to do it. I had always been an observer, had heard the screams, saw the blood and pain that was inflicted on them, but I had never laid a hand on them during the testing. I refused, said I couldn't do it. He continued to pressure me, and repeatedly I said no, so he finally got tired of it. I was training with Steven one day when Andrew walked in, grabbed me by the hair and pulled me into one of the torture rooms. I figured he was just going to torture me, teach me and the others a lesson. What he did was much worse" I said looking at Matthew Lawrence sadly.

"He killed your family in front of you" he answered quietly. I nodded.

"I was thrown in the room, and he left. A few days later he came back in, with three people with him. He threw them to the ground and looked at me, said he had a surprise for me, and then yanked off the hoods. I saw my mother, father, and sister in front of me. My mother and father were unconscious, most likely from putting up a fight, but Elizabeth was awake. She recognized me immediately, even though it had been over five years since I had gone missing. Andrew repeatedly asked me to do the torture; he had a gun pointed at my parents and sister, even though they didn't seem like family anymore. They were really strangers. I knew though, deep down, that they were my real family, my blood, and I couldn't let them die like that, with a bullet through their skull. So I agreed, to spare their lives.

"Of course, Andrew had different plans. Right after I said yes, he put a bullet though my father's skull. All I heard was Elizabeth's screams as I tried to get out of the chains from where I hung from the ceiling. It was no use though, I couldn't get out. Then he put a bullet through my mother's head and I could still hear Elizabeth screaming and crying, and then, it was silent. A bullet through Elizabeth's skull stopped everything. He released me from the chains, said if I ever did it again, things would be much worse than that. He left the room closing the door, and went on to do the torture without me. I sat and held their bodies, crying. Steven came and found me hours later. I promised that I would never break again, because if I did, people were going to get hurt" I said, remembering the day, when I had lost my family. Anger towards Andrew boiled my blood, and the hatred I had felt for him, but always pushed down, came to the surface. I clenched my hands into fist; knuckles turning white before I pushed my feelings back down and took on the neutral expression I always wore.

"You have mixed feelings for Andrew Barclay" Lawrence said, noticing my reaction. I mentally cursed myself for letting them show, I wasn't supposed to let my feelings show, I had been trained for ten years not to let them show.

"He killed my family in front of me, yes, but he was the only father figure I knew and had after I was kidnapped when I was eight" I answered, my voice even, nothing betraying the anger that still boiled inside me.

"It took years to build up the Arch Angels with reliable people, they were either getting themselves killed, getting themselves caught, or just wanting out and Andrew wouldn't take that, so we would have to take them out ourselves, but we finally filled up the slots, the eight of us. Andrew had plans though, there were originally supposed to be twelve of us, it doesn't look like that will be happening though" I said looking him in the eye. The Arch Angels plans for the future were over.

There would be no more kidnapping, no more training, no more torture sessions. There would be no more Arch Angels. This was a new start, for the three of us.

Matthew Lawrence stood at the end of the hour, and I did as well, my mind instantly going into overdrive, looking for things that would be out of place, anything. I looked out the window, and saw Dalton talking excitedly to the man known as Agent Callen. A small smile played on my lips; he looked like a normal child, what he should look like, instead of a trained killer and a national fugitive, someone a lot of people feared.

"I'd like to speak to Dalton" Lawrence said and I tensed. I didn't like where this was going. He shouldn't have to relive the horrors that I had to.

"Mitchell has agreed to talk to us as well, once he gets out of the hospital, we would like all Dalton to talk about what happen. Our psychologists have said that talking about it could help" he said.

I turned to look at him. "What we have seen, what we have done, what we have had done to us, nothing can help us. Talking will do nothing" I said before walking out the door and down the stairs towards Dalton and the mysterious blue eyed agent known as Callen. The Director of the CIA fell into step beside me.

Dalton looked up, and I could tell that he was happy, happier than he had been in a long time. "Alex! Look! G bought me a soda and a candy bar!" he said as he held up the empty soda can and a candy wrapper and my heart clenched tightly in sorrow. He was ten, a mere child, he shouldn't be here. He should be in a safe home, tucked into bed, his parent's asleep right down the hall, not getting excited over simply getting a soda and candy bar, something that we rarely enjoyed.

"I see that. Did you like it?" I asked. He nodded eagerly and I couldn't help but let a small smile cross my face. I knew that Agent Callen was watching me closely, but I was more focused on Dalton and the Director.

He turned to Dalton and then said, "Dalton can I speak to you while Agent Callen, G, keeps your sister company?"

I saw the frightened look written all over his face, and I became protective again. I was about to open my mouth and say no to the Director, especially when he looked for Agent Callen to me, but I thought back to the Director's words, maybe they could help him, having him talk about it, but there was no hope for me. I put a hand on his shoulder, and felt him relax. When he looked at me, I gave him a nod.

"I'll get you another candy bar and soda" Lawrence said when he saw Dalton hesitate. Dalton would go with him, if only for the candy bar and soda. I watched Dalton nod and slowly get up and go with the Director. I watched until he was safely in the Director's office before I sank into the chair that was across from Agent Callen.

"He shouldn't be in there" I said quietly, not even realizing until it was too late that I had let my thoughts become words and let them tumble out of my mouth.

"You're right, but you shouldn't have been in there either" was his quiet reply and I looked at him. Emerald green clashing with icy blue and I saw the truth in his words. His words surprised me.

"Most of the people in this building, around the world, who know about the Arch Angles, hate us and think we're monsters. Why not you?" I asked curiously.

"Andrew Barclay was the monster; you and the others were the victims. He shot and killed your families in front of you when you did something against his wishes. You and the others were kids, and if you didn't do as he said he would torture you. You didn't know any better, he did. None of this is your fault, all his. He knew what he was doing, what he was making you into, you and the others didn't. The life as an Arch Angel is all you know, you didn't have a normal childhood that you deserved, you only knew the life of a killer, and that's all you could be" he answered, and I was shocked by his reply.

I thought about my life as an Arch Angel. Maybe this was a good thing, for us. Maybe we could actually have a chance at having something close to normal, something we had never known. I nodded at his words.

I leaned forward and held out my hand. "Alexandria Brookes" I said.

He took my hand and shook it. "G Callen" he said with a kind smile on his face. Before I knew it, I was returning the smile, and it shocked me, because I never smiled, unless it had something to do with my family.

"Thank you…G Callen" I said before getting up and heading towards the coffee pot that I had spotted earlier. As I filled my cup, I watched Dalton as he sat in the Director's office, candy bar and soda in hand, a smile on his face as he talked to Matthew Lawrence. I felt G Callen's eyes on me and I tried not to smile.

Maybe there was hope for me, Dalton, and Mitchell after all.


	4. Adapting

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles, if I did, Callen would let me have his Mercedes…**

_A day late, but here it is. And to answer the questions, right now Alexandria is eighteen, and the year is 1999 due to the fact that Callen's Old Flame is set in present time. Oh, and the songs at the beginning are what inspired me to write these chapters. (Just in case you wanted to know)._

"_**They're gonna clean up your looks**_

_**With all the lies in the books**_

_**To make a citizen out of you**_

_**Because they sleep with a gun**_

_**And keep an eye on you, son**_

_**So they can watch all the things you do"**_

_**~Teenagers, My Chemical Romance**_

Adapting:

My eyes snapped open when I heard the click of the front door closing, and I pulled the gun that I kept under my pillow out, switching the safety off as I went. Dalton was asleep, I had checked on him before I finally retreated to my room, and Mitchell was still in the hospital. He wasn't being released for another couple of days.

That meant that whoever it was, most likely wasn't a friend. Not that I had any of those.

My bare feet hit the cold hardwood floor and I stealthily made my way towards the living room, my eyes sweeping over the white painted walls, and I quietly walked into Dalton's room. When I found nothing I then headed on down the hallway towards the living room.

I saw two figures sitting in the chairs in the middle of the room and readied myself for an attack. When none came I flipped on the light, my gun pointed at the figures.

Squinting against the bright light I then sighed and pointed my gun down when I saw who it was. "Are you two always this idiotic? Do you _want _to get yourselves killed?" I asked glaring at them.

A pair of blue eyes and a pair of brown eyes looked at me.

"Come on Alexandria, you wouldn't really kill us now would you?" Mason Carter asked a grin on his face.

"If you would have asked me that two weeks ago I would have said yes" I said.

It was hard to believe that I had actually been here for two weeks. Two weeks and I was ready to take my frustrations out on someone. For the past two weeks the only thing I had been able to do was go to the CIA office because there was no way that I was staying here, in this house, on my own. I came here to sleep and eat, nothing more. The only reason we actually had this place was for Dalton, and Mitchell, when he came. To give them something that could be considered normal. During the day Dalton would go to school, they figured he should try to have a normal life, well, as normal as a life as they could give him after everything we had all been through. Once Mitchell had fully recovered, he too would go to school, or at least try; there was no telling what his response would be. Lawrence and the others had already decided that I wouldn't be going to school, most likely scared that I would snap someone's neck, but I never planned on going anyway, even if they tried to make me.

So, for the past two weeks, I spent my time pacing the offices of the CIA with G Callen and Mason Carter as company.

Of course, I knew what was really going on, what Callen and Mason really doing, but weren't going to say. They, along with Director Lawrence and other CIA agents, were watching me. Watching and waiting to see what I would do, to see if I passed the CIA's so called "tests". So I paced, lashed out at the punching bags in the CIA gym, and occasionally made sarcastic comments directed towards Callen and Mason.

"What do you want, it's two o'clock in the morning" I said walking over to the chair that sat in the corner of the room with my back to the wall. It was something that I never liked, being exposed, so I always kept my back to a wall when I could, that way I couldn't be surprised. The gun was still in my hand, placed on my thigh, and I could see Mason eyeing it, but I kept it where it was.

"We're here to announce the good news" Callen said, not seeming to be bothered that the fact that I still had the gun trained on them. He must have seen me switch the safety on when I walked towards the chair. Over the past two weeks, Callen was the agent that I had gotten to know the best, well, what little he gave me. The man was still a mystery, but I could see that he trusted me, something most agents didn't, including Lawrence, and sometimes Mason.

"You couldn't have waited until it was daytime?" I asked narrowing my eyes. Callen gave his trademark smirk and I glared at him.

"We thought you'd be excited to hear the news first, especially since your two favorite CIA agents have spent the past four hours convincing Lawrence to let you out in the field" Callen said, the smirk still on his face.

"What's the catch?" I asked suspiciously, eyeing both CIA agents.

"Why would you think there's a catch?" Mason asked. I rolled my eyes and looked at them.

"I learned a few things over the past two weeks. Here's one of them, you're the CIA, there's always a catch" I answered.

Callen and Mason exchanged a look. Callen shrugged. "It's true" he said to the older man. Mason rolled his eyes and then turned back to look at me.

"The mission will be a long one, undercover" he said, and I could sense that there was something else he wasn't telling me.

"What about Dalton and Mitchell?" I asked, not liking the fact that I had to leave them behind. After everything we had been through over the past few weeks, I wanted them close to me, that way I knew they were safe.

"They'll be here, safe. I'll be watching over them until you get back" Mason promised. I eyed him, Mason watching two children who could kill him didn't reassure me; in fact, it made me worry even more.

"Dalton's wary of you, and my guess, Mitchell isn't too happy with you either. Dalton trust Callen, I want him here" I answered.

Callen and Mason exchanged looks before turning back to me. "That's going to be impossible, beside Lawrence already gave his orders and has everything being prepared" Mason replied.

"What do you mean it's going to be impossible?" I asked, eyes narrowing, gun pointed at them warily.

"Relax, it'll be fun. I'm going with you" Callen said with a small smile. I lowered the gun, a surprised look crossing my face.

So _that _was the catch.

_So our girl is just starting to adapt to her new life, and now has to go undercover with our favorite mystery man. This is going to be fun. Well, let me know what you think._


	5. The First Assignment

**Disclaimer: I still don't own G Callen…which makes me very sad because, well, who wouldn't want him?**

The First Assignment:

The first assignment was something that put me on edge and calmed me at the same time. It put me on edge because, in my mind, after the things I had seen, it made me wonder what this assignment was about, and what would be the risks. It calmed me because assignments were familiar and impersonal. I could distant myself once I was in the mode I had been trained to be in, I could bottle my emotions and lock them away.

That was something I hated, my emotions being out in the open when they should be locked away, deep down, where they couldn't resurface until the job was done.

It didn't always work, keeping them buried deep down, sometimes they came to the surface, and when they did, it made me feel something I hated, vulnerable.

Callen led me up the stairs in the CIA office that would take us to familiar office of the Director of the CIA. When we got there, Lawrence was sitting in the chair behind his desk. He waved his hands at the two empty chairs in front of him and Callen went to go sit in one. I watched as he pulled out to files and slid them both across the smooth wooden surface. One towards me, and one ."

Callen. Callen opened his without question and began to read through the contents, I on the other hand, eyed the folder, then Lawrence, before slowly making my way over to the chair and sitting down.

Glancing around the room, I then picked up the folder. Three words caught my eye the minute I opened it.

St. Petersburg, Russia.

I glanced at Callen and then at the Director before turning the page. I hesitated for a moment, and knew Callen had seen it.

"Aleksey Baskov" I said, the name falling off my tongue.

Lawrence and Callen looked at me in surprise. "You know Baskov?" Lawrence asked. I shrugged not really caring to delve into my past with the man.

"I know his work."

"Do you know how to find him?"

I shrugged. "I can find a way."

"Good, the two of you are leaving tonight. Callen, you're going undercover as an arms dealer from America, Alexandria you'll be his companion. You need to get in, find out how and who he's shipping his arms to here in America, bring him in, and get out" Lawrence said.

Callen nodded, I stared straight ahead. Lawrence then grabbed another file that was sitting on his desk and opened it. We were dismissed. Callen and I got up and then headed out the office towards our desks.

"So you know Baskov?" Callen asked. I knew he wanted me to give him more on the subject, but at the moment, I wasn't too keen on sharing.

I shrugged again before pushing my hair out of my face. "Like I said, I know his work."

I turned towards the coffee maker and immediately felt a presence behind me. I had to stop myself from instinctively lashing out when I realized that it was only Callen, because he's the only one who would even think about getting in close proximity with me.

"You're hiding something Alexandria, I can see it, and I _will _find out what it is" Callen whispered in my ear.

My eyes closed briefly when I felt his breath on the back of my neck, but I quickly snapped them open. I wasn't going to be one of the women who easily gave in to him because of his good looks and charms. I wasn't made that way. I quickly poured my cup of coffee and then turned around, coming face to face with him.

I stared up into his icy blue eyes and briefly got lost in them.

Mentally shaking any thoughts of the handsome icy blue agent out of my head I put my emotionless mask back on and pushed past him, heading towards my desk.

"I've been hiding things all my life Callen, you're not the first to have said that, and you won't be the last, but you'll end up like all the others, failing" I said not bothering to turn around and face him.

As I headed over to my desk, I caught the small smile that played on his face, and knew that whether I meant to or not, I had sent out a challenge, and he was going to accept it.

I looked at him over the rim of the coffee cup as I took a sip. "Besides, I'm not the only one hiding a past" I answered seeing the guarded look go right back up. A small smile played on my lips behind the rim of the cup. I was right, and I was going to take the challenge of figuring of G Callen's past while he tried to figure out mine.

. . .

Two days later, after review the case file a dozen times, I wanted to know everything I could that the CIA knew about Aleksey Baskov and found out that they knew just about as much as I did, we landed in St. Petersburg, Russia under the aliases Timothy Harold and Alexis Summers.

My hair was dyed a deep burgundy, and instead of the cargo pants, tank top, black leather jacket and black combat boots I usually wore, I was dressed in a pair of dark fitted jeans, a white V-neck long sleeved t-shirt, a brown leather jacket, and brown boots.

Callen was dressed in a pair of jeans, a black long sleeved shirt, and a black leather jacket, and as we walked through the streets of St. Petersburg I could tell that he was somewhat at easy here.

Russian floated in the air around us as people conversed and I listened to the conversations, content with just walking in the city, despite the cold weather. I turned to look at Callen and saw the same look on his face as well, but he was observing me more than anything, or anyone else.

"You like Russia" he commented.

I quickly put my guard back up. "It's a beautiful place, once you get past what actually goes on around here" I answered as we walked, his arm slung around my shoulders, mine around his waist.

"I didn't know you knew Russian" I answered.

"It's one of the many languages I know" he answered glancing at me out the corner of his eye as we headed back towards the hotel. We had been walking through the streets for a few hours, and despite going places that the CIA's reliable sources said Aleksey Baskov would be, we saw nothing of him, and I, being the person who got things done quickly without wasting much time, was getting impatient.

"It takes time to find people like this Alexandria, they're criminals, they slink and hide in the shadows, it's how they live" Callen reminded me as we reached the hotel and he opened the door for me.

"I use to be the one slinking and hiding in the shadows Callen" I reminded him as I walked into the elegant hotel.

"How did you just adjust to this life so quickly? I mean it's only been a few weeks since you've stopped killing people" Callen said as we walked up the stairs towards the fourth floor. I wasn't too keen on taking the elevator, I rarely took it, I had more room to maneuver in a stairwell then I did in an elevator if something ever happened.

"It's not an addiction Callen. It never was. It was a job, a job that I was forced to do. If I didn't, then I would suffer major consequences. I did what I had to do, even if it meant killing people, whether they be innocent or not, to survive. Isn't that what living is all about, surviving?" I asked turning to him as we stepped out into the hallway that would led us to our room.

Callen remained silent as we walked towards room number 406. Stopping and waiting for Callen to unlock the door to the room I stopped and looked at him.

I reached out and put a hand on his arm, stopping him from going in momentarily. His blue eyes latched onto mine and I said, "I'm not one to wait Callen, if we don't find anything on Aleksey Baskov in a few weeks, we're trying my way, and my way always ends up with promising results", before I opened the door and walked in.

I could feel his icy blue eyes on me as I headed out towards the balcony to look at the city of St. Petersburg, Russia.

_**Okay, so I finished it with about fifteen minutes to spare, since it is 11:45 here. I've spent all day writing this and rewriting it, the exams I took this week have been messing with my writing head, so this was the best I could come up with. No lyrics in this one, but that's mostly because I went through all four My Chemical Romance albums and then some others while I wrote this. Yep, that's how long it took. Well, I'm off to bed, just wanted to get this chapter out to you guys tonight. **_

_**I actually did get one out on a Saturday instead of after. Yay! I feel accomplished. You folks have a good night/morning/day/evening/whatever time it is where you are at. Time to get some shut eye.**_


	6. Plan A

**Disclaimer: I do not own G Callen, no matter how bad I want to…**

"_Hand in mine, into your icy blues  
>And then I'd say to you<br>We could take to the highway  
>With this trunk of ammunition too<br>I'd end my days with you in a hail of bullets"_

_~Demolition Lovers, My Chemical Romance_

Plan A:

Walking through the streets of St. Petersburg was relaxing. No matter how relaxing it was though, I was always on edge.

At the moment, I was sitting in our large hotel room cleaning one of the many guns I had brought with me. I heard footsteps outside the door and tensed, my hands traveling from the disassembled gun in front of me to the fully loaded one beside me. As the door opened, my arm shot out, aiming the barrel at the door. I turned my head to see Callen looking at me, his eyes lingering on the gun. I slowly lowered the gun and went back to cleaning the other one.

"Find anything useful on Baskov?" I asked.

"The places he's usually seen at have been strangely quiet. My guess is he caught wind we were here looking for him and has gone into hiding" Callen answered shrugging out of his leather jacket and throwing it across the back of a wooden chair.

"Wonder if he'll come out for an old friend?" I asked, turning to look at him, as I finally voiced the thoughts that had been running through my mind all day.

Callen's blue eyes sparked with curiosity as he looked at me. "What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Baskov, from what your sources say, is looking for a new friend who can get his shipments to and from America. What if the Arch Angel, Alexandria Brookes, someone he's worked with in the past, shows up with someone to solve all of Baskov's problems?" I asked.

Callen leaned forward, a frown crossing his features. "There's a chance they could know you work for us now."

"The CIA has three Arch Angles in custody, they never released with ones they have, so they won't know. Besides, they'll most likely think that I was the very first one to be killed. I am the strongest, the biggest threat. Why not let them assume?" I asked.

"How did you manage to get away?" Callen asked, and I knew he was making sure that the story would be convincing enough for a paranoid Russian arms dealer.

"They never found my body" I said with a smug smile.

Callen nodded, looking lost in thought, most likely going through every possible scenario that could happen if we went through with this. Finally he spoke. "It could work."

I gave a small smile and stood. It was time to collect on a favor that was owed to me.

. . .

Callen and I sat outside of a small local coffee shop waiting for one of my old contacts to show. Minutes later a tall man with dark wavy hair stepped out from an alleyway, casting nervous looks to either side before he cautiously walked across the street towards us. He pulled his thick black jacket closer, and I was unsure if it was because he was keeping the cold out or if it was because of something else.

My newly dyed burgundy hair was currently hidden under a blonde wig that I had brought along with me, and once he saw me, he headed towards us, casting a nervous look at Callen.

He slid into the seat across from us and gave me a nod. "Alexandria" he said, his accent thick.

"Dmitri, so good to see you again" I said before calmly taking a sip of my coffee.

"Who's he?" Dmitri asked jerking his head in Callen's direction.

"A friend of mine" I answered.

"I didn't know you had friends, besides your brothers and sisters" he replied.

I flinched inwardly at the mention of my now dead brothers and sisters. "I have a few" I replied evenly, keeping my emotionless mask on.

He was silent for a moment and took a sip of something from a silver flask, and from my experiences with Dmitri, I figured it to be vodka. "I came to collect Dmitri" I answered.

He looked at me, and then glanced around several times. "What do you need?"

"I need you to get a message to Aleksey Baskov" I answered. Dmitri's eyes widened.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed Alexandria?" he asked. I merely shrugged my shoulders before he went on.

"The man still hasn't forgiven you for taking out six of his best guards. Do you really think he's going to forget about that easily?" he asked.

I glanced at Callen once I felt him watching me. I took a sip of my coffee before I crushed the empty cup in my hand. I quickly stood, pulling my brown leather jacket closer as a gust of wind flew around us.

"Tell Aleksey Baskov that if he wants an answer to his little shipping problem, he'll give me a call. If he doesn't, well, he's a bigger idiot than I thought he originally was" I said turning away as Callen followed close behind me.

I started walking down the street and turned my head slightly, just in time to see Dmitri head off down another alleyway.

"You took out six of Baskov's guards?" Callen asked as we walked.

"Yes".

"With what?"

"My hands" I answered calmly and I could feel Callen's eyes on me. I turned to look at him.

"Why?" he asked.

I gave a shrug and then said "They pissed me off", before walking back off down the street leaving Callen staring at me.

Two hours later, as we sat in the hotel room, where I was once again stripping the guns and cleaning them, a knock sounded at the door, and then a piece of paper slid under the door. I went over and picked it up. I smiled before turning the message so that Callen could read it.

Written on a piece of plain white paper, that was folded neatly in half, was all I needed to know that Baskov was going to meet us.

_The warehouse by the pier. Two days. Four o'clock. Be there._

We were in.

. . .

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Callen asked as we walked towards the warehouse that was by the pier.

He was dressed in a black business suit with a blue tie that matched his eyes and a black leather briefcase in hand. I was back in the attire I usually wore. A pair of black combat boots with a pair of black cargo pants along with a white tank top and my black leather jacket.

"It should work" I answered evenly.

"_Should?" _Callen asked. I gave him a small smile.

"Relax, you'll be fine, you are the master at improvisation" I replied as I walked into the door of the warehouse.

Immediately, men had guns trained on us, but despite the fact that I didn't like the guns being pointed, I calmly held up my hands and let them search me and saw them doing the same to Callen.

Minutes later, after being led to the middle of the warehouse, Aleksey Baskov stepped out from a room on the second floor. He looked at me for a minute before heading down the metal staircase towards the dusty warehouse floor.

"Everyone thought you were dead" Baskov said looking me over. I shrugged.

"A lot of people think that, it seems like someone thinks I die every week" I answered evenly.

"How does it feel to be betrayed by your family?" he asked curiously, and I let a flash of anger go through me. I narrowed my eyes, mustering up every ounce of anger to make it look convincing. He seemed to buy it, because he motioned towards Callen.

"Who's your friend?"

"Timothy Harold, a friend of mine from America. He has contacts inside the military and can easily get arms shipments sent from one country to another without suspicion. I use him quite often, he hasn't failed me yet" I replied evenly.

"You trust him?"

"He's useful" I answered. Baskov nodded before turning to look at Callen.

"How long does it take to get the shipments from here to America?"

"When do you need it there?" Callen asked.

"Four days".

"I can make it happen" Callen answered.

"What's your price?"

I looked around the room, looking for every exit that I could find in case things went wrong. Rumors were going around that Baskov had pissed off some very powerful people in the Russian Mafia, and they were looking for him. I just hoped that we were long gone when they showed up; the Mafia was a group of people I didn't care to look back on, not again.

After Callen made a price, they made arrangements on where to pick up the merchandise and where to deliver it once it was in America. Callen promised to have his best men on it since Baskov had paid extra. That's when everything started going wrong.

I heard the squeal of tires, the slam of car doors, and the sound of guns being fired. I quickly grabbed Callen and pushed him behind a large stack of wooden crates as men, that I could clearly tell where Russian Mafia, barged into the warehouse firing at Baskov and his men.

I watched as Baskov quickly made a getaway and headed for the SUV that was waiting for him as his guards tried to hold back the Russian Mafia even though they were outnumbered greatly.

"What the hell is going on?" Callen shouted above the noise of gunfire, bullets sending pieces of wood from the boxes flying as they took out everything they could.

"Baskov pissed off the wrong Mafia" I shouted back as I grabbed a gun that was lying on one of the crates we were behind. I quickly checked to make sure the clip was loaded before I pushed Callen on to the next set of boxes, gunfire erupting all around us.

"How are we going to get out of here?" he asked.

I didn't need to look around to know that there was a vent that would lead to the outside of the warehouse. I had used it once before when I needed to make a quick escape after killing Baskov's guards. I looked from Callen to the vent and then pushed him towards it, firing out as Mafia and Baskov's men alike fired at us.

He managed to get the grate off and he slipped inside, I quickly followed after completely emptying the round.

We made our way out and started running through alleyways. I steered him towards one of the many safe houses I had set up around the world. We would be safer here then we would at the hotel, at least for now. Everything needed to settle down before we made our way back downtown.

I quickly closed the door behind me as we stepped into the small apartment, both of us breathing heavily from the run, adrenaline pumping through our veins. I looked at Callen.

"Now we do it my way" I said.

"Okay" he managed to get out, his chest heaving.

_**Wow, I actually got another one out on time, and I actually finished this one a day earlier. So, I'm afraid I don't know when the next time I will be able to update is, I unfortunately have to do a giant essay on Hamlet…so my focus will mostly be on that for a while. But, I can happily say, that I only have twenty-four days of school before I am out for summer and then I can actually stick to my update schedule.**_

_**I have decided (long ago) that I am going to finish this story before I pick up with Callen's Old Flame, because well that just makes sense. Thank you to all those who have reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. You have no idea how much it means. Well, that's all I have to say for now, so see you guys the next time I update.**_

_**-Haleybug**_


	7. G Callen

**Disclaimer: I still don't own G Callen, because if I did, well, the Season finale may not have ended that way.**

"_I'll tell you all how the story ends,  
>Well, the good guys die and the bad guys win,<br>It ain't about all the friends you made,  
>But the graffiti they write on your grave"<em>

_~Save Yourself I'll Hold Them Back, My Chemical Romance_

G Callen:

Things had become…interesting to say the least ever since Alexandria and I had come to St. Petersburg, but right now, I was glad that I had the former Arch Angel on my side, especially after the incident at the warehouse.

We sat in a small apartment on the lower side of St. Petersburg. I stood, looking out the window, the faded navy blue curtains balled in my fist as I held it aside. This wasn't the first time I had been to St. Petersburg, and it defiantly wasn't the first time I had been caught in a dangerous situation, but for some reason, this felt different.

"You should get some sleep" said a voice from behind me. I turned and saw Alexandria leaning in the doorway of the tiny living room.

"I can't sleep, insomnia" I answered truthfully when she gave me a curious look. It was the first time I had ever told her anything of real importance about me, and it made me wonder if she would soon give up a piece of information about herself that she held so closely to her. She nodded and moved towards the other window, pushing back the curtains to look out at the dimly lit streets of St. Petersburg.

"I can't sleep either. I prefer not to sleep much during my visits to Russia" I heard her say quietly and I looked at her. This was one of the few times that she had shared anything about herself, and each time I continued to grow more intrigued by the former Arch Angel.

"Why?" I found myself asking her, and I instantly regretted it, thinking she would once again shut me out and throw up her walls along with the emotionless mask she always wore.

She sighed, letting the curtain fall back into place. I watched as she moved towards the couch, the fabric faded from age. She sat down and looked at me, and deep in the depths of her emerald green eyes I saw something I thought I would never see in the former Arch Angels' eyes. I saw vulnerability.

"Too many people want me dead; sleep gives them the opportunity to try to kill me. I can't take that chance" she said quietly, pulling a gun out from under the coffee table and setting it on the polished wood. She quickly took it apart and her hands moved methodically over the gun in front of her. This wasn't the first time I had saw her do this over the last few days.

I thought about what she had just said. Had people actually tried to kill her in her sleep before? I hadn't seen many people who were actually scared to go to sleep, and I definitely didn't figure Alexandria to be one of those people.

"Why are you so nervous?" I asked curiously and her hands stilled. Her eyes snapped up to look into mine.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"You're nervous, you always clean your guns when you're nervous" I answered.

Alexandria laughed, something I hadn't heard her do except for when she was with Dalton. I liked hearing her laugh, her real laugh, especially when I was the one who cause the beautiful sound.

"I am not nervous" she said with a small smile as she went back to cleaning the gun.

"Then why are you always cleaning them?"

"Always be prepared, it keeps me assured that I can be ready for anything" she explained, glancing at me briefly.

I looked around the tiny apartment; it was lacking color except for the blue curtains, couch, and hardwood floors, and was mostly white. The room was bare except for the couch, coffee table, and curtains, at least from what I saw so far of the small apartment. It reminded me of my own that held a bed roll and articles of clothing, along with a few keepsakes.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"An old safe house I used to use when I needed a place to hide out while the Russian Mafia was looking for me" she answered.

"The Russian Mafia has looked for you?"

"Several times, it seems Russians aren't that fond of me" she replied with a hint of a smile, putting the gun on the table and turning to look at me.

I sat down beside her. "Baskov has disappeared, he's pissed off the Russian Mafia, and they are most likely turning St. Petersburg upside down looking for him. Either we find him, or the Mafia will, and if the Mafia finds him first, he'll be dead and we'll have better luck finding him dead in a ditch or alleyway, and then this whole thing will be a bust" I said running a hand over my face in frustration. I felt the stubble and knew that I would have to shave sooner or later.

"It's time do to this my way" Alexandria said and I wondered what the former Arch Angel had in mind.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" I asked.

Alexandria picked the gun up and shoved the clip in. "We flush him out" she said before putting the gun away with a small smile.

"Flush him out how?" I called as she got up and left the room. I sat back down with a sigh, running a hand through my hair in frustration when there was nothing but silence for my answer. Whatever Alexandria had in mind, it wasn't going to be easy. At least not for me.

_**I'm not really sure about this chapter, but it was all I could get out of it after trying to write it for the past three weeks. The next chapter will be better. This was a long weekend for me so I decided to write this before I had to crack the books open for exams.**_

_**Success! My dreaded Hamlet essay is finished, but the bad news, we probably won't get it back before the school year is over, so I won't know what my grade is, but maybe its better that way. Only FOUR more days of school left! YES! Anyway…I decided to give you a little surprise, and put in our favorite blue eyed agent, Mr. G Callen because well, maybe it was time to see what his thoughts on everything were. Oh, and Season 3 finale…I feel another story coming on (but that's just gonna have to wait a while). I'm afraid I have no clue when the next one will be, the next week is filled with exams (oh joy) but then I'm all yours, at least mostly. Thanks everyone for sticking with this story!**_

_**-Haleybug**_


	8. One Step Closer

**Disclaimer: I still don't own G Callen or NCIS: Los Angeles...**

One Step Closer:

I walked into the living room from the small bedroom that was in the apartment, surprised that I had actually fallen asleep. I never fell asleep in Russia, at least not unless it was from pure exhaustion, and even then I slept with a gun under the pillow, my hand curled around the handle. Even though it was only a few hours that I slept, I found that I hadn't slept with the gun under my pillow; it had laid on the nightstand next to the bed.

I looked at Callen, who was lying on the couch and thought that maybe this was the reason I had actually gotten a few hours of sleep. For some reason, a reason I couldn't quite put my finger on, I felt safe with the blue eyed agent, something I rarely felt around anyone.

I heard his deep breathing and couldn't help but smile. He had gotten some sleep too it seemed.

I quietly left the living room, letting him sleep as long as possible, he looked like he needed sleep as much as I did, and maybe the permanent dark circles that were always under his eyes would go away, if only for a little while. I headed into the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee, the one left from last night cold and bitter.

I thought about the plan that I had concocted the night before, before I finally let exhaustion take over me.

Baskov would be underground, deeply underground, and there was no way, no one, who could be used as bait to get him to come back to the surface. He had no one, no family, and no loved ones. All he had were his men, and even they were disposable, a new one always taking the fallen ones place. I knew that the only way to get him to come out was to go down after him and drag him out myself.

The only problem was Callen.

There was no way in hell he was going to let me go down in the Russian underground world, no matter how many times I had been down there before, and bring out Baskov, at least not alone. I had to try though. If this was the only way, and at the moment I couldn't think of an alternative plan.

I heard the creak of a floorboard and knew that Callen was awake.

"Glad to see that you actually got some sleep" I said turning to look at him, raising my coffee cup to my lips to take a sip of the hot caffeinated drink.

"It looks to me like you got some sleep as well" he answered giving me a small smile that could make a girl's heart stop momentarily. Of course, I didn't have the time to think about that, at least not with this mission looming over us.

"A little" I admitted, turning and pouring him a cup of coffee. I turned back to him and held it out. He took it and took a sip before giving me an appreciative nod.

"What's the plan?" he asked as he took a seat at the small round kitchen table.

"Plan?" I asked sitting down across from him.

He chuckled. "I know you Alexandria, maybe not as well as I would like too, but I know that you of all people always have a plan. You have a plan on how to catch Baskov" he said, the last more or a statement than a question.

"I'm thinking" I admitted and looked into his eyes, finding a glint of amusement in the blue depths.

"Care to share with the class?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed, knowing that he would need to know, he was a part of the plan after all.

"Baskov most likely headed underground with all the other criminals that are in Russia, hoping to blend in with the crowd after the little surprise at the warehouse from the Russian Mafia. I'm known there, have plenty contacts down there, even if some of them are…unreliable at times. When I need the information, they will hand it over, even if it takes some time getting it. We follow the word in the underground and eventually we'll find him, hopefully it will be before the Russian Mafia does. I would much rather have a breathing Baskov then a dead one" I answered calmly taking a sip of coffee.

"You think I'm going to let you go down there alone?" he asked. He spoke calmly, but I could see the way his hands tightened around the coffee mug.

"I was hoping you would" I answered with a small smile.

. . .

"I really wish you would have let me do this alone" I answered with a sigh as we walked down an alleyway that was in the middle of another large warehouse district in St. Petersburg. I stepped through the mud puddle, looking at the people milling around. Half of them watched us curiously, the other half stepped aside as we walked. I couldn't help but give a grim smile. Apparently the name Alexandria was still associated with the Arch Angels, and still a reason to be feared.

"That wasn't going to happen. I'm not letting you come down here alone. You're my partner" Callen answered and I saw him watching one of the men with a scraggly beard who had been watching us for the past three minutes.

"Relax G. They aren't going to bother you, unless they want to be dead, besides I've been here more than you think I have" I murmured noticing the wary look he kept casting at each person who walked past us to closely.

I grabbed him by the elbow and steered him down an alleyway that branched off at the right, this one empty. The only thing you could hear was the sound of our boots as they echoed along with building walls. I stopped outside a warehouse door and quietly opened it, slipping in, motioning for Callen to follow me. I heard him sigh and knew this was not how he planned, or how he wanted to find Baskov.

The warehouse had an odor, one that couldn't quite place, and the air was damp as we walked through the large space, boxes pushed back against the walls. I heard the distinctive sound of a bullet locking in the chamber of a sniper rifle and stopped. I slowly raised my hands and motioned for Callen to do the same.

"Whatever you do, don't move, and let me do all the talking" I said quietly and calmly as I waited for the man I had come all this way to see to step out of the shadows.

"You're supposed to be dead" growled a voice and a large man stepped out of this shadows, his black hair thick, and his beard stopping mid-chest. He wore a pair of jeans that had seen better days, and that hadn't seen the cleaners anytime soon. His large chest was covered by a tank top and a red and black flannel shirt. A silver chain hung around his thick neck. I saw the fear that had been there moments earlier disappear.

I let out a sigh. I didn't have time for the '_You're supposed to be dead' _thing.

"Yes, yes, I'm supposed to be dead. I know, but I'm not, the spooks never found my body, I played dead. Now that we've established this, can we get to the real reason why I'm here?" I asked a little impatiently and I saw the look of fear come back into the man's eyes. Everyone knew the stories of what happened when an Arch Angel got mad, and none wanted to be on the receiving end of an Arch Angel's rage.

"Who's your friend?" he asked.

I sighed. I really didn't have time for this.

"His name is Timothy. Don't worry; he's being paid to be _very _discreet. He's not going to say anything, he values his life, and the cash, too much" I answered.

"What do you need Alexandria?" he asked looking around nervously, despite having a man with a sniper rifle aiming at my chest.

"Where is Aleksey Baskov?" I asked and I saw his eyes widen slightly.

I heard the slight scuff of a shoe on pavement and turned around, a knife slipping out of its sheath in my boot. I grabbed the man, forcing the large sniper rifle out of his hands onto the ground, twisted his arm, behind his back and then pressed the blade of the silver knife into the man's throat.

"A new associate of yours?" I asked calmly, handing the man and the knife over to Callen. I stepped closer to the man and saw him glance around nervously. There was no one else here to help him. The only man he had with him currently had a knife pressed into his throat.

"That's none of your concern Alexandria, go back to America, and stay out of our business" he said. I stepped closer and he looked around, searching for a quick escape.

I took another step closer and he took off towards the side door that was to his left. I sighed. Why did they always have to make things so difficult?

"Stay with him" I said, glancing over my shoulder at Callen before taking off after the man.

It didn't take me long to catch up with him, he may have been strong, but he wasn't that great of a runner. I reached him after running down a side alley and grabbed his arm. He turned around and swung at me.

I quickly dodged out of range and sent my palm up towards his nose. He dodged out of the way and threw a punch at my stomach. I bent over, the breath leaving me momentarily, and I saw his knee come flying up towards me hitting me in the face. I grabbed it and pushed it down, swinging my fist up towards his face. I heard a crunch and when I stood back up I saw him holding his nose before he swung at me again. I caught his fist and then brought him arm behind his back forcing it upward until it was on the verge of breaking.

"Walk" I snarled pushing him forward and spitting out blood, we headed back towards the warehouse we had come from.

When we got there, I found Callen still holding the knife to the other man's throat. He looked at me in concern when I spit out another mouthful of blood, but didn't say anything. I shoved him towards the center of the room, dragging a chair with me to the middle of the room. I pushed the man down into it and looked at Callen briefly.

"Find me some rope" I said.

Minutes later he came back with a cord of rope that I quickly cut and tied his hands to the chairs of the arms and tied his feet to the legs. I walked away and shrugged out of my leather jacket, the Arch Angel tattoo seen clearly from my shoulder blade. I turned and walked back towards him.

I heard a grunt and then heard quickened footsteps coming towards me. There was a shout that sounded like "Alex!" and I quickly turned, receiving a punch to the face.

Recovering as quickly as I could, I grabbed another knife that was in my boot and grabbed the man, twisting his arm behind him, and brought the knife over his throat. His limp body fell to the ground and I stepped over it, dropping the knife along with it.

I pulled the gun out from the back of my jeans and pointed it at the man in the chairs head before spitting out another mouthful of blood.

"Now, tell me where Aleksey Baskov is Andrei" I growled, anger in my eyes.

_**Well, I decided that a small celebration was in order since I passed my Hamlet essay with an 89 and I passed three of my exams. Tomorrow I take the last two and then I am done with my sophomore year! YAY! I decided that we should get one step closer in finding Baskov. I was going to make this longer, but I figured four pages were enough for today. Alexandria is someone I really wouldn't want on my bad side, but then again who would want a deadly assassin on their bad side. I had just a small bit of fun letting her get beat up, but now, she's extremely pissed, and she isn't playing games anymore…Let me know what you think!**_

_**-Haleybug**_


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